Amtrak names Hardison chief marketing and sales officer

Amtrak named Matt Hardison chief marketing and sales officer (CMSO), following the retirement of Emmett Fremaux and will report to President and CEO Joe Boardman, effective immediately.

As CMSO, he is responsible for sales distribution and customer service, field marketing, advertising and sales promotion, Amtrak Guest Rewards, market research and analysis, reservation sales, on-board systems, pricing and revenue management, eTicketing and eCommerce. His department will deliver marketing and sales services to the internal Amtrak business lines and to the company's external commercial partners.

"Matt will provide the necessary leadership and continuous improvement of our business processes as we carry out the vision set forth in our Strategic Plan," said Boardman.

Hardison joined Amtrak in 1999 as senior director, commercial partnerships and designed and built the Amtrak Guest Rewards loyalty marketing program. In 2002, he was promoted to chief, sales distribution and customer service where during the past 10 years, he and his team introduced Wi-Fi and eTicketing, improved revenue management and launched the "Julie" voice recognition system.